Foreign robbers 'using cheap flights to commit crime in Britain'

Foreign criminals are taking advantage of cheap air fares to fly to Britain
and prey on elderly people, a police advisor has warned.

John Grant, the crime prevention manager at Kent Police, said that methods of robbery which have been commonplace across Europe may have been imported to Britain via budget airlines.

He said that the criminals launch week long campaigns – particularly targeting vulnerable, elderly people with distraction robberies at shopping centres – before flying home to avoid detection.

Thieves from Greece and Spain have been identified as carrying out a scam often seen abroad on tourists - using a bottle of tomato sauce or mustard to squirt on victims and divert their attention while they steal bags and purses.

Mr Grant, a former Kent Pc, said some criminals use mini-buses to target shopping centres in Kent and London - with drivers dropping off “teams” of robbers in various hotspots.